15 research outputs found
Conservation Agriculture as an adaptation strategy to drought in Chivi District, Zimbabwe
No full textPhD (Geography)Department of Geography and Geo-Information SciencesConservation agriculture (CA) which is an agricultural system with the capabilities of conserving soil and water through its zero to minimal tillage, mulching and crop rotation principles has become popular the world over. This study evaluated CA as an adaptation tool to drought in Chivi district, Zimbabwe. It developed a model to enhance adaptation to drought in Chivi and other areas of similar environment. The VLIR-UOUS (2019) Theory of Change (ToC) principles structured interview checklist was used to review the Logical Framework of CA to establish the project design. Questionnaires, key informant interviews and Focus Group Discussions were used to characterise the nature of CA in Chivi and to assess the socio-economic impact of the project. Official records were used to compare food crop production yields per hectare under conventional and conservation agriculture. Atlas.ti 8‘s capabilities such as Co oc for frequency of occurrence, Co-code Doc Table for numeric analysis, Networks and report tools for visual and text analysis were employed in data analysis. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS version 22) was used for its uni-variate and bivariate analysis capabilities. The findings highlighted weaknesses in the Chivi CA principles and project design. It noted a low adoption of the project with some farmers withdrawing from the project against a downward trend in food production, despite CA having higher yields per hectare. The study also noted low socio-economic impact of CA as a project and its potential outside the project framework. The study concludes that CA has can alleviate the drought effects if the project’s framework is adjusted to suit local contextNR
Development of a Conceptual Framework for Adoption and Sustainable Utilization of Biogas as an Alternative Source of Energy for Emmission
No full textPhD (Geography)Department of Geography and Geo-Information SciencesImproved access to modern affordable, sustainable and reliable energy supply is fundamental in the development of any economy and in the achievement of sustainable development goals. However, energy as a resource is increasingly and becoming scare in many countries and subsequently expensive, with a substantial impact on the socio-economic progress, especially in any country that lacks the financial, physical, social and human capital to secure its energy supply. Energy can also be produced though the anaerobic fermentation of biological waste, such as animal excrement, which is methane-rich. Fermentation also produces a nutrient-rich digestate. Biogas can be used for domestic purposes, such as cooking and heating. Furthermore, it can be converted into electricity. Biogas technology is of particular significance in rural households, where energy crisis are common. This thesis therefore aimed at developing an adoption and sustainable utilisation framework of biogas as an alternative source of energy for greenhouse gases emission reduction in the Limpopo Province. The sample involved 72 households with biogas digesters, which were purposively sampled and 128 households without digesters, which were randomly selected. The study was based on the primary data that were elicited using open and closed-ended questionnaires. Empirically, the results of this thesis developed a sustainable, simplified, appropriate and comprehensive framework for biogas adoption and utilisation, including an analysis of important factors that could influence the adoption of this desired technology, for cost-effectiveness and sustainability.NR
Indigenous and Local Knowledge: Instruments Towards Achieving SDG2: A Review in an African Context
No full textThis study seeks to review African indigenous and local knowledge in farming systems that are used as instruments for the achievement of sustainable development. Hence the idea of sustainability, indigenous and local knowledge paying reference to Zero Hunger. Limited studies have indicated the importance of indigenous knowledge systems as a fundamental driver for the achievement of SDG2 by 2030. This study envisioned the idea of sustainable development in the context of indigenous and local knowledge as a potential for achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 2. Hence, it emphasizes the necessity of a radical investigation of Indigenous knowledge practices for a more effective local farming system in the African setting that is inclusive and driven by the Indigenous community to harness the untapped riches of indigenous knowledge. Local and Indigenous knowledge are regarded as knowledge systems possessed by cultural groups and, based on their experience and adaptability to local culture and environment, it is important for development, particularly in food security. The study concludes by urging further potential investigation into whether indigenous and traditional knowledge systems as tools can be used to accomplish Sustainable Development Goals in practice
Mainstreaming Ecosystem-Based Disaster Risk Reduction: Towards a Sustainable and Just Transition in Local Development Planning in Rural South Africa
No full textEcosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR) is gaining momentum globally and is also considered to enhance climate change adaptation and sustainable transition to a low-carbon economy in South Africa. However, there is little evidence regarding how the approach is applied at the local level. It also remains unclear to what extent the approach is integrated into local development planning and what opportunities exist for further integration in rural areas. Therefore, our study examined opportunities for mainstreaming Eco-DRR into local development planning in South Africa. Fourteen integrated development plans from ‘mostly rural’ local municipalities in Limpopo Province were systematically assessed to understand the process of mainstreaming Eco-DRR into their current development plans under the following aspects: localized climate trends, hydroclimatic risks considered, risk and vulnerability assessments, disaster risk reduction (DRR) actions, early-warning systems, financing mechanisms, integration of traditional and technical knowledge, stakeholder engagement, and alignment with district, provincial, and national priorities. Although all plans address DRR, none explicitly addresses Eco-DRR, despite a few similar actions. DRR actions are not aligned to any hydroclimatic risks, and most plans lack localized climate trends and/or vulnerability assessments to indicate the severity of hazards and/or identify populations and areas at risk. Several measures in the plans address disaster preparedness, but none includes early-warning systems. Public participation features prominently in all plans, but the process is marred by challenges and lacks genuineness, e.g., prioritized actions are not reflective of community needs. Based on the findings, we discuss measures to enhance the mainstreaming of ecosystem-based approaches into DRR. We conclude that a huge opportunity exists to institutionalize and mainstream Eco-DRR into local development planning in South Africa’s rural areas. If carefully seized, such an opportunity can also help attract external finance to complement the currently constrained budgets related to addressing hydroclimatic risks
Driving forces for fuelwood use in households in the Thulamela municipality, South Africa
No full textAbstract
Energy is a fundamental requirement to sustain human life, but most people in rural areas do not have enough access to efficient and affordable energy resources. Socio-economic measures are increasingly used to determine household energy consumption patterns. The pattern of household energy consumption represents the status of welfare as well as the stage of a country’s economic development. Household energy consumption is expected to increase in the future, along with growth in the economy and a rise in per capita incomes. This study was undertaken to understand the driving forces for energy preference in rural households, while reassessing the energy ladder and multiple fuel use. Two hundred questionnaires were administered to elicit information from respondents in Altein, Botsoleni, Makhovha and Thenzheni in the Thulamela municipality of South Africa. A non-parametric test (Chi-square) was used to determine the relationships amongst the factors influencing the use of fuelwood in the study area. Cramer’s V was used to test the association of the variables, the strength and the direction of the relationship. The results indicate that household income, educational level and employment status, cultural norms and values, are among the key determinants of the energy preference scale.
Keywords: rural households; energy consumption; energy ladder; energy preferenc
Impact on Water Quality of Nandoni Water Reservoir Downstream of Municipal Sewage Plants in Vhembe District, South Africa
No full textThe deterioration of water quality in our freshwater sources is on the increase worldwide and, in South Africa, mostly due to the discharge of municipal sewage effluent. Here we report on the use of principal component analysis, coupled with factor and cluster analysis, to study the similarities and differences between upstream and downstream sampling sites that are downstream of municipal sewage plants. The contribution of climatic variables, air temperature, humidity, and rainfall were also evaluated with respect to variations in water quality at the sampling sites. The physicochemical and microbial values were higher than the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. The cluster analysis showed the presence of two clusters for each of the Mvudi, Dzindi, and Luvuvhu Rivers and Nandoni reservoir sampling sites. The principal component analysis (PCA) accounted for 40% of the water quality variation and was associated strongly with pH, electrical conductivity, calcium, magnesium, chloride, bromide, nitrate, and total coliform, and negatively with rainfall, which represented Mvudi downstream and was attributed to the Thohoyandou sewage plant. The PCA accounted for 54% of the variation and was associated strongly with electrical conductivity, sulfate; total dissolved solids, fluoride, turbidity, nitrate, manganese, alkalinity, magnesium, and total coliform represented Dzindi downstream, with inflows from the Vuwani sewage plant and agriculture. The PCA accounted for 30% of the variation and was associated strongly with total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, magnesium, fluoride, nitrate, sulfate, total coliform average air temperature, and total rainfall, and negatively associated with manganese and bromide represented Luvuvhu upstream and was associated with commercial agriculture. The PCA accounted for 21% of the variation and was associated strongly with turbidity, alkalinity, magnesium, chloride, fluoride, nitrate, and strongly negatively associated with rainfall, which represented Luvuvhu downstream, associated with inflows from Vuwani oxidation ponds, Elim and Waterval sewage plants, and agriculture. The PCA accounted for 14% of the variation and was moderately associated with rainfall and weakly associated with chloride and bromide and negatively associated with nitrate, which represented the natural Nandoni reservoir system. The continued discharge of effluent may render the raw water supply unsuitable for human consumption and lead to eutrophication due to nitrate enrichment and proliferation of harmful algal blooms and schistomiasis infections in the long term
Comparison of satellite platform for mapping the distribution of Mauritius thorn (Caesalpinia decapetala) and River Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) in the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve
No full textDATA AVAILABITY STATEMENT: The datasets generated and analysed during this study are not publicly available as they are part of a more extensive study that is currently ongoing but are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.Mapping and tracking invasive alien plant species (IAPS) and their invasiveness can be
achieved using remote sensing (RS) and geographic information systems (GIS). Continuous monitoring using RS, GIS and modelling are fundamental tools for informing invasion and management
strategies. Using systematic comparisons, we look at three remote sensing imagery platforms and
how accurately they can be classified within the Vhembe biosphere reserve, Limpopo Province, South
Africa. Supervised classification of National Geospatial Information Colour Digital Aerial Imagery,
DigitalGlobe Worldview 2 and CNES SPOT 6 was performed. The Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM)
algorithm was used to identify the best satellite for species-level classification. The accuracy of the
classifications produced an overall accuracy (OA) of 71% with a Kappa coefficient (KC) of 0.76 for
CDA photographs, an OA of 81% and a KC of 0.80 for Worldview 2, and an OA of 89% with a KC of
0.86 for SPOT 6 imagery. Therefore, SPOT 6 imagery came out as the most suitable for species-level
classification. The classification results from the SPOT 6 imagery were used as input data for further
species distribution modelling of Mauritius Thorn and River Red Gum in the VBR.The University Staff Doctoral Programme, The University of Venda Capacity Development Towards a Higher Degree and DigitalGlobe Foundation.https://www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensingGeography, Geoinformatics and MeteorologySDG-13:Climate actionSDG-15:Life on lan
A co-design approach for stakeholder engagement and knowledge integration in flood risk management in Vhembe district, South Africa
No full textIntroductionParticipatory methods and collaboration among diverse knowledge holders are critical to soliciting multiple, and often competing, stakeholder perspectives and knowledge systems for enhancing flood management.MethodsThis study uses a participatory co-design workshop, post-workshop survey, and key informant interviews to establish the utility of co-design methods in engaging diverse stakeholders, including flood-prone communities, in flood management and/or adaptation in South Africa’s Vhembe district. The co-design workshop brought together policymakers, practitioners, political actors, government agencies, local authorities, traditional leaders, and four flood-prone communities. It was conducted in the flood-prone region in the last quarter of 2023. At that time, discussions on mainstreaming climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in the development planning process were underway.ResultsThe results show that the stakeholders were able to establish the key drivers of flood risk, challenges associated with flooding, current flood response measures, and barriers to effective flood response. However, an urgent need was for more effective flood response and an active role of flood-prone communities in the district. Stakeholders were able to use insights from the current dissemination of flood early warning systems and networks created during the workshop to call for action toward a community-based flood early warning system in the district. This call to action was premised on genuine collaboration between flood-prone communities and other key stakeholders rather than on any specific interventions. This was key to fostering more open discussions on enhancing the district’s flood response and early warning systems.ConclusionThe study concludes that the co-design approach with diverse knowledge holders is enriched by the local context and insights provided by the flood-prone communities (top-down collaborating with bottom-up) even beyond the workshop. This is useful for developing and implementing future community-based flood early warning systems
Evaluating Biogas Technology in South Africa: Awareness and Perceptions towards Adoption at Household Level in Limpopo Province
No full textEmissions and Deforestation Associated with Household Energy Use: A Case of the Thulamela Local Municipality, South Africa
No full textFuel wood is regarded as a major source of energy around the world, particularly in developing nations forming part of the energy mix. Most rural communities around the world, consider forests as the repository of stored energy. The study focused on the role of fuel wood in deforestation and the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the Thulamela local municipality in South Africa. Information regarding the fuel wood consumption was collected during a manual field survey of 200 households in four villages in the municipality using questionnaires and interviews. The carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions were calculated using the generic formula and the emission factors were applied in calculating the emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxide (NO) and methane (CH4). According to our results, the combined greenhouse gases emitted in the four studied areas are CO2 14.91 Kg, CO 0.000349 Kg, NO 0.00548 Kg and CH4 0.01222 Kg. Calculated vegetation change using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for a 5year interval (2007-2012) indicated that a change percentage of 56.23 in the four villages
